1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a combined hot water, air heating and conditioning system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a combined hot water, air heating and conditioning system including a heat pump.
2. Background Art
Conventional hot water, air heating and cooling devices come in discrete units. There lacks synergistic heat transfer between these devices. For instance, the heat energy rejected by one device is not absorbed and taken advantage of by another device, but lost or transferred to the surroundings. When heat is required, it is again made available via combustion of oil, gas or consumption of electricity, etc.
Attempts have been made to capture waste heat from one system to be used in another or capture waste heat from one part of a system to be used in another part of the system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,801 to Burns (hereinafter Burns) discloses a waste energy hot water heater which extracts heat energy through heat exchange with flue gas from a primary heating device. The water heater has an easily removable, compact, and simple heat exchanger and a flue gas bypass system to avoid overheating the heat exchanger. U.S. Pat. No. 8,091,514 to Jimenez (hereinafter Jimenez) discloses an energy re-claimer for preheating water prior to the water entering a conventional residential, commercial or industrial gas water heater. The energy re-claimer is mounted on top of the water heater between the draft diverter and the hot air flue. The energy re-claimer is a double wall construction that is larger in diameter than the draft diverter and hot air flue in order to allow normal passage of hot air through the system. Tap water enters a pipe inside the double wall construction and is heated prior to being directed through the water heater. The pipe may be constructed of a number of straight lengths connected by returns or may be in the form of a single straight section connected to a coil made of connected curving sections that surround the axis of the energy re-claimer. A condensation collector may be provided between the draft diverter and the energy re-claimer to collect any condensation that may form as a result of cooling gases and prevent the condensate from falling into the water heater where it could extinguish the flame. Both Burns and Jimenez disclose reclaiming energy that would otherwise be waste heat in a heating system. None of them discloses a combined hot water and air heating and cooling system which takes advantage of one or more heat pumps.
Thus, there is a need for a combined hot water and air heating and cooling system capable of harnessing and taking advantage of the energy rejected from one process such that the need for heat energy can be met via transfer of energy as a result of an operation that already is occurring, e.g., in cooling, etc.